Although
small in area, Taiwan has a complex topography-ranging from high
mountains and huge forests
to rugged, varied plains and onrushing streams and rivers-giving the
island many small, localized ecological environments. In addition,
despite being located in the subtropics, Taiwan boats a wide range of
altitudes endowing it with multifarious climates-tropical,
subtropical, temperate, and even frigid. Lastly, deep oceanic
influences-such as high humidity and plentiful amounts of rain-give
Taiwan an abundance of flourishing, diverse vegetation, which
consequently contributes to the island's bountiful and complex
biological species.

Dr. Nigel Collar
visited seven major natural history museums in the UK, USA,
France, the Netherlands and Italy (Natural History Museum,
Tring, UK; American Museum of Natural History, New York;
National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC; Muséum
National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris; Naturalis, Leiden;
Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh; and Museum of
Natural History, Genoa) to examine study skins of Asian
babblers. He measured the birds’ various body parts and
compared their size, shape and colors. Using a scoring system
developed by a team of ornithologists (including himself), he
graded differences between the birds. He assigned 3 points
for major differences, 2 points for medium differences, and 1
point for minor differences. All of the points had to equal
at least 7 (including at least some major or medium
differences) for a bird to be raised from subspecies status to
full species status.

Although the scoring method is “simplistic, crude
and arbitrary,” it is a consistent and useful evaluation
tool. Using this scoring method, 44 Asian subspecies qualify
for elevation to full species status. Under this scoring
system, Taiwan would
gain 7 more endemic babbler species: Garralax ruficeps, G.
poecilorhynchus, G. taewanus, Pomatorhinus erythrocnemis, P.
musicus, Pnoepyga formosana and Alcippe formosana.

Bird names in the following table are according to Inskipp,
T., Lindsey, N. and Duckworth, W. (1996) An annotatedchecklist of the birds of the Oriental region.Sandy, U.K. :
Oriental Bird Club.

Proposed new species:

DERIVED from:

Rufous-crowned
Laughingthrush,
Garrulaxruficeps

White-throated Laughingthrush,
Garrulax albogularis

Rusty
Laughingthrush,
Garrulax poecilorhynchus

Note: This proposed species is currently treated with the
proposed Buffy LaughingthrushGarrulax berthemyi
as two (of 3) subspecies of G.poecilorhynchus.
The new Taiwan
endemic would retain both the English and Latin names.

Taiwan
Hwamei,
Garrulax taewanus

Chinese
Hwamei,
Garrulax canorus

Black-necklaced
Scimitar Babbler,
Pomatorhinus erythrocnemis

Spot-breasted Scimitar-Babbler, Pomatorhinus
erythrocnemis. The new Taiwan
endemic would retain the Latin name.

Taiwan
Scimitar Babbler,
Pomatorhinus musicus

Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler, Pomatorhinus
ruficollis

Taiwan
Wren Babbler, Pnoepyga formosana

Scaly-breasted Wren Babbler, Pnoepyga
albiventer

Taiwan
Fulvetta, Alcippe formosana

Streak-throated Fulvetta, Alcippe
cinereiceps

On Taiwan,
Rufous-crowned Laughingthrush seems to be relatively
uncommon, or with very limited distribution. Taiwan Hwamei
is more common, but is at greater risk because of genetic
swamping from Chinese Hwamei, which is imported into Taiwan
as a cagebird because of its song, and which escapes regularly.

Acknowledgement:
Thanks to Dr. Nigel J. Collar for comments on this condensation
of his article. Jo Ann
MacKenzie